Five medical marijuana patients and caregivers will be sentenced in federal court next week, highlighting the human cost of the federal government's intolerance for state medical marijuana laws.

Two medical marijuana caregivers from Monroe County who were convicted earlier this year in federal court will be sentenced at 3 p.m. Monday, October 1, before U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson (231 W. Lafayette Blvd, Detroit). Gerald Lee Duval Jr., 52, and his son, Jeremy Duval, 30, were raided by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in 2011 and charged with felony cultivation, maintaining a place to cultivate marijuana, and conspiracy to distribute.

In April, the Duvals were convicted at trial, the expected result of federal laws that prohibit any medical defense or reference to state law in front of juries.

Steph Sherer, Americans for Safe Access: "This type of enforcement is completely discretionary, unnecessary and far from the public health approach that medical marijuana patients deserve"

"The Duvals' case is another tragedy from President Obama's war on medical marijuana," said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a medical marijuana advocacy group. "This type of enforcement is completely discretionary, unnecessary and far from the public health approach that medical marijuana patients deserve."

The Duvals face decades in prison despite no evidence of state law violations.

Days later, three more medical marijuana patients and caregivers will be sentenced in federal court in Michigan. Around the same time federal agents were raiding the Duvals, officers with the Central Michigan Enforcement Team (CMET) and the Mecosta County Sheriff's Department raided the Austin Township home and other property of John Marcinkewciz, 42, and Shelley Waldron, 42.

Marcinkewciz, Waldron and Jaycob Montague, 26, were originally charged under state law with cultivation and conspiracy to cultivate, but prosecutors soon turned their cases over to the federal Justice Department, where the three had no chance of defending themselves against federal law.

Marcinkewciz, Waldron and Montague all subsequently took plea bargains in May.

Waldron and Montague are scheduled to be sentenced at 8:45 a.m. on October 4 before Judge Robert Bell in U.S. District Court at 110 Michigan Street NW, Grand Rapids. Marcinkewciz is scheduled to be sentenced at 8:45 a.m. October 5, before the same judge.

In spite of the plea bargains, the three medical marijuana providers still face decades in prison.

"The federal raids and prosecutions in Michigan are unfortunately only an example of the broader aggressive campaign by the Obama Administration to undermine state medical marijuana laws," Sherer said.

As with the Duval raid, DEA agents commonly burst onto the scene wearing full body armor and wielding machine guns in a clear attempt to intimidate.

Despite claims by the president that he was "not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws," Obama's Justice Department has conducted more than 200 SWAT-style raids and indicted well over 70 medical marijuana patients and providers since he took office.

A federal lawsuit to force the DEA to reclassify marijuana for medical use will be heard by the D.C. Circuit on October 16. The case, Americans for Safe Access v. DEA, is bringing the science of medical marijuana into federal court for the first time in nearly 20 years.

If marijuana were reclassified, the five people being sentenced in Michigan would be entitled to a medical defense -- a right they are now denied.

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jury nullification,do your friends know about this right we have?Does your family know?NO? Then tell them,post it and post it often pray these ppl will have someone SMART on the jury that will exercise this RIGHT.

There is nothing to gain by voting for Obummer or Robme and their sold out parties. Thats like voting for dumb or dumber, making those votes dumbest. There is a fear to end status quo voting that must go..why keep voting for proven lies, corruption, nation destroying debt, wars, prisons, losses of freedom, and big biz control??

Even though they won't win due to the power of buying off voters too, with massive big biz funding of these two, there are at least 3 other excellent candidates who are not sold out..Dr Jill Stein, Greens, Gary Johnson, Libertarian, & Rocky Anderson, Justice.

Even though they have little chance to actually win the election, they DO have the voice of the people rather than big biz, and thats whats important. They are NOT bought off!

This citizens voice will make an impact to change to a better nation even with a smaller than elected vote percentage...it will make all elected officials beware ignoring what citizens really want, and will definitely bring a fair voice to them, or they will see people voting for those who will bring positive change. Put the wind up them.

There is a classic case in Oregon where a pro Ganja official was recently elected by a big margin, over a prohibitionist, and another in Texas, and there are others.

All 3 other candidates would end the very stupid prohibition, and bring a variety of of other issues around to favour people and nation, not just biggest biz.

End the fascist state currently in control by not voting for it anymore, duh. We need to stop fearing real positive change. Vote for your freedom..for a change. No Fear!

it is unfortunate that more juries are not aware of jury nullification. regardless of what defense could or could not be brought in front of the jurors, they could have simply nullified which would have shut the case down and freed these innocent people. WE THE PEOPLE

Want changes? Stop electing prohibitionist to congress. Congress is the only hope of changes. Presidents cannot change a drug law by himself with out being a dictator. The Feds will enforce laws until congress passes laws to stop them.

Obama is doing nothing no different than what any other president would be doing right now. Dem or Repub.

They are going after states that havent legislatively protected Dispensaries. Only in states that are fighting dispensaries or havent passed laws to protect dispensaries. Most states that have MMJ laws have not passed laws to make them fully legal and regulated. In states that have the Feds only go after ones with in school zones or breaking the law. like Taxes and other stuff in states that have legislatively or in the law itself when it was passed or voted on.

Colorado has a great regulated dispensary system because in 2010 they passed laws regulating and making dispensaries legal. So far The feds have left alone those in compliance outside of school zones and not shipping more out the back door than out the front door.. The legislature made them fully legal. This is the key.

. Michigan Cali Oregon Washington Montana need to get laws passed by state legislature and on the books making DISPENSARIES FULLY LEGAL AND REGULATED only then will they truly be in compliance with state laws. Until then cities and states will ban them and invite the feds in to do the dirty work.

Gettine laws passed at the state level to protect them is the way to start.

Obama will do NOTHING! And those that think he will in his second term...well he has showed me nothing to assume he will in anyway do anything then either!! He is one of those who thinks he is superior so in his mind he is permitted to use cannabis because he is elite it is the common folk, you and I that are forbidden! I think our only hope is with the Courts and hopefully Congress after the election. (Well that is if we even have elections)

@valstar The President does indeed have the power to make cannabis legal, nor would it require any additional powers or dictatorship. He could simply order the justice department to reclassify cannabis as the medicine it is now well-known to be, or he could tell them to stop prosecuting anyone charged with a crime involving cannabis, or he could pardon all prisoners currently held for non-violent possession, or he could use his "bully pulpit" to speak the truth about cannabis, thus rallying the people to push for change.

State law provides no protection when the federal government ignores it.Please keep pushing to elect anti-prohibtion congresspeople, as it could only have a positive effect.

@sharonday5 he doesn't think he is superior, he is doing what he is told. all presidents are OWNED. irony. a cabal of wealthy (corporations/big pharma) run this country. until we have a revolution LIKE ICELAND, then we are doomed to keep repeating the 'same shit different day' mentality.

there needs to be a movement where literally a majority of Americans commit to voting for a third party that will do everything we say, just as these current idiots should be doing but no longer adhere to the Constitution or the Bill of Rights.

If we do not have this movement and commit to doing this, then a 3rd party will NEVER win. Also, most elections are decided by the cabal and we only think we vote.

@Raoul again, it is not just this one man. he is a puppet like all the rest of them. you have to get to the corporation/bank/big pharma. THEY run this country. we just think we vote in people who will give us HOPE, but that ain't gonna happen.

ICELAND FIGURED IT OUT AND NOW THEY ARE THRIVING. THREW THEIR BANKERS IN JAIL AND REDID THEIR GOVERNMENT. it is working, too.

@Raoul What about Bush and all the drone attacks he did and all the innocent people he killed. People look to blame every thing on the black muslim president ( sarcasm) no matter if its true or not. Now this case is true he is using drones but hes he was not the one that started the program. Its a shame innocent people are getting killed for any reason.

America is not insane our Federal Govt is. Well part of the country is because they elect the people that keep the country this way. Personally I dont think we should be in the middle east at all. Every time we kill some one we create more terriost to replace him. We got Osama. Its time to come home.

@teknik@sharonday5 Teknik: Thank you for your psychic prediction. I think Romney will continue the same policies as Obama. We know Obama is a terrible President, we do not know if Romney will be worse or not.

Yes, Obama is a puppet. However, that does not excuse his actions. He is still responsible for destroying liberty, selling his soul to banksters, killing innocents with drones, jailing marijuana smokers and growers.......Do I really need to go on?

Bush was a terrible President no doubt about it. However, Obama is a deceiver. And yes, America is Insane. Politicians elected are just an energetic reflection of the population. And by the way, we never "got" Osama, he died years ago. The "kill Osama" operation was a total ruse. The Delta Force who carried out the raid, were conveniently killed in a crash a short time later to keep the secret.

@Ralph@Raoul i agree with you, however, you cannot negate the fact that all of our presidents do as their told. the only one who had half a ball was Clinton but even he did nafta! i just don't allow the pointing of our collective finger at one person we happen to believe runs everything and just bitching about that over and over. that is what they want. we all know better or atleast should. when we, as a people, are ready to have a true movement (i.e. Iceland) wherein we agree to put someone in the white house that is no one's whore, that we agree the banksters need to be jailed, agree to make the weatlhy pay atleast 50% in taxes, agree to changing EVERYTHING!, then we may make some progress. of course, then we have to worry about that person being assassinated. ring a bell? history?....